VEAL FROM MILK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20098, 8 November 1928, Page 5

VEAL FROM MILK.

EXPERIMENTS IN ENGLAND. RETURNS FROM CALF-FEEDING. As a rule the milk produced on tho farm is disposed of either as whole milk, cheese, butter or cream. When, for any reason, the usual, method of disposal is no longer available or becomes unreniunerutive, the farmer has then either to select another of the more direct methods of milk disposal or convert his milk into pork or veal. During the past year a series of experiments have been carried out at the Lancashire County Council farm with a view to obtaining information regarding the probable returns obtained by converting surplus wholo milk into pork or veal, says the Farmer and stockbreeder.

The results of these experiments, m 30 far as they concern the production of pork, will be completed shortly, but it is possible to givo the results of the trials on veal production. 111 converting milk into pork the problem of calculating the return obtained iroiii new milk is complicated by the fact that the milk is fed along with meai, but in the case of calves this difficulty does not arise as the calves are fed entirely on wholo milk from the time of birth until they are sold, so that the increased value of the calf in the actual return obtained lor the milk fed. Die experiment was carried out 011 two calves which were fed 011 whole milk from birth until they were sold at from seven to eight weeks old. They were weighed at regular intervals and finally sold. The main results are shown below:— Calf Culf ... . . No. I. No. 2. \\ eight lit birth P4lb Sf.lb. £O. of days fed . . 4!) s:s Weight when Bold . . ]!)(>lb. 19111). Live weight increase 1121b. 1051b. Live weight increase Per day . 2.251b. 2.141b. Milk consumer! 99gul. 09 gal Live weight increase per gallon of milk consumed . . 1,131b. l.OGlb. , £ ». <1- £ s. d. bale price . . (i 0 0 fi 11 0 bale price per lb. live weight 77 o Estimated value ai, , birth 200 200 Jncrease in value . . 4 6 0 411 0 Ueturn per gul. of milk consumed 10.1 10.5 It will he seen that the calves rnado very satisfactory progress throughout the experiment, increasing on the average at the rate of over 21b. per - head per day. Lach gallon of milk produced rather more than live weight increase. The most important figure is that showing that the calves have given a return of over 10d. per gallon for the milk consumed.